I think we should be screaming, “STOP THE STEAL”. No, not for Trump’s benefit or anything that has to do with the 2020 election but for what the Republicans are doing to future elections. They're a desperate bunch and will do anything to stay in power. They seem to have no grasp of reality, an understanding of the Constitution, or a conscience, really. That’s apparent with the thirty or so laws they recently pushed through to make it more difficult for people to vote.
The Republican base nationally is dwindling, and this causes them to twist voting regulations until all but those that agree with them, are strangled. In 2017 the Pew Research Center did a survey that showed a decline of participation in the Republican party since 1994 of seven percent. The number of registered Democrats stayed the same over the time period, and the number of NPP increased by seven percent. In 2020 the number of registered Republicans ticked up by one percent, but they lost more than that after the Capitol riots.
To make things worse, they seem to be killing their voters with Covid. Republicans are thirty percent less likely to get vaccinated than Democrats according to Jeffrey Frankel a writer for Project Syndicate. The title of his piece is, America’s Republicans are killing their voters.
My district, CA 23 is a prime example. Bakersfield has the highest Covid hospitalization rate outside of the Southern United States. The vaccination rate correlates with voter registration: More Republicans equals fewer vaccinations. They’re going to be REALLY desperate after all this data fleshes out.
OK! So, the only way they can stay in power is to take away the power of others and they have done that successfully in many states. This type of institutional Racism was outlawed when I was three years old. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law to protect our Democracy. Because of that, I grew up in an America where more people, especially those of color, registered to vote and voted. Things got better for them and now we have more women and people of color elected to public office.
I commend House Democrats for approving a comprehensive Voter Rights bill, appropriately named the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. It aims to fight back against modern-day barriers to voting. Unfortunately, It will most likely die in the Senate.
So, the Republicans are desperate but won’t actually do the most obvious thing they need to do to stay in power: Pass legislation that improves working families’ lives, no matter the color of their skin. It’s not hard. They know what is needed because they’re continually pushing in the other direction. Ironically it harms members of their base or even kills them.
I’m going to watch the Elections offices in CA-23, carefully. I want a fair election that facilitates successful voting for all who want to participate. I hope you all will do the same.